Festive Occasions

It’s lazy of me to lump together the pictures of the kids with their Christmas presents and the one of Beni’s birthday cupcakes, but together they help illustrate my point. Growing up, Beni found it difficult to share her birthday with the Christmas holiday: she got the occasional—but dreaded—combo gift, couldn’t schedule parties on her actual birthday, and, worst of all, was often forgotten about by many of her friends who were busy celebrating the day with their families.

Those mixed feelings haven’t completely faded away, but I’ve noticed—and Beni herself has conceded—that the hard feelings have softened over time. In fact, the birthday girl now sees the positives of having to share: that her mom and sister will always have the day off so that they can be present to open presents, and that she too will likely never have to be at work on her special day. And in that spirit of goodwill, I offer some of the pictures from earlier in the day.

With G in the fire truck/ball pit

Olivia with her many American Girl accessories

The Slinky was very popular in the 1940s (and in 2011)